


A Flower Shining, No Matter the World.

by Yayate



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety, Dating, Depression, F/F, First Dates, Love Confessions, Romance, Trans Female Character, Unreliable Narrator, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:36:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yayate/pseuds/Yayate
Summary: Byleth's life at her university was quickly changing. While more-than-ripe with anxiety, depression, and neurodivergence, Byleth was just your average university student, raised by her loving father, Jeralt, and always terrorized by her little sister, Sothis. While her family wasn't well-off, Byleth always happily kept herself going by clinging to her closest and most beloved friend- Dorothea.  The loneliness of life had always crawled up her spine, but it had grown ever stronger in her adulthood. It really felt like she would never find anyone that would complete her. Someone willing to put up with her countless fault, but...A pretty girl, with lovely purple eyes and gorgeous silver hair would soon change everything.This is a happy current time AU for FE3H! While attached to my other FE3H fic, it has nothing to do with it, aside from me holding onto the same interpretation of Byleth. While Byleth is still depressed, anxious, and struggling with her neurodivergence, this is entirely just about finding happiness.Again!! Since all narration is from Byleth's perspective, it can be very, very unreliable and warped by anxiety!Fifth chapter added!





	1. Chapter 1

It took Byleth forever to notice that Dorothea had been doing her absolute best to set her and Edelgard up together. It started simple, with Dorothea just inviting the two of them over for a friendly study session to ease up on the stress of preparing for university classes alone. While studying didn’t particularly rank high on the list of things Byleth liked doing in her free time, having any excuse to spend more time with her best friend was absolutely wonderful! At first, she was really worried about actually being in the same room as Edelgard. Who wouldn’t be? While they shared a few classes, they had never really come to interact before that day.

It was pretty scary! Not only was she meeting someone knew, she was meeting one of Dorothea’s closest friends! And apparently she was really rich, too! Wasn’t having herself around.. you know, just an embarrassment? Sure, Dorothea wasn’t particularly better off than her, but she at least had a handful of talents that were more than capable of keeping herself afloat. Dorothea was a wonderful, beautiful, talented person, but...

Byleth just knew she was going to embarrass herself, one way or another. She had to. She was introverted, awkward and her shameful neurodivergent traits were more than a little visible. There’s no way she wouldn’t bother Edelgard! Disgust Edelgard! Push her away- and so even harm her own friendship with her lovely Dorothea!! Maybe if she was a good girl and stayed quiet, Edelgard wouldn’t have any reason to judge her? She could be there as a friend of Dorothea, and Edelgard, too, could be there as a friend of Dorothea! They didn’t really need to interact.

Being around people was frightening. Byleth always felt so lost. She could barely functionally interact with her two closest friends The other, Sylvain, could be a fantastic friend whenever he needed to be one, but he also had a habit of getting a little carried away. Sure, sometimes his flirting could feel really pleasant and validating! But! He just didn’t know! How to stop! Byleth was a big fan of cuddling- and Sylvain managed to corrupt that into the most awkward experience they could ever have.

Sure, Dorothea could be flirty, too, but she knew when to stop! She understood that when Byleth said ‘no’, it meant she had to ease off on it for just a bit! Sylvain didn’t really seem to understand that, and after a while, it got harder and harder to object to his flirty comments. She didn’t really want to do anything that could potentially ruin one of the only friendships she had!

Because… Who else did she have? Her sister? Her father? They didn’t count! The handful of people she interacted with behind the safety of her computer? Okay, they did count. But, they couldn’t fulfill the longing she had to physically be around people! To just. Cuddle someone. And let her loneliness seep away.

That all changed, though. Byleth couldn’t keep herself distant from the wonderful Edelgard for too long.

She was pretty. Kind. Sweet. Lovely. Respectful. Understanding. Patient. Spending time with her felt so safe. So warm. 

“I think.. I think I like her…”

“Heehee, I thought you’d never notice!”

And when Byleth finally came to terms with her feelings, when she finally shared them with Dorothea, all she gave her in return was a firm volley of teasing.

“I figured you two would be perfect for each other! I was starting to worry that my devious scheme to hook you two up would never take off! While I was happy to settle with having my little Byleth make another friend, you deserve a little more than just that!”

But. Byleth didn’t want to suffer through yet another one sided crush. Maybe those feelings would water down and fade away. They did for Dorothea. This should be no different, right? All she had to do was shut up and wait, so she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of rejection again.

They never did. So there was only one thing she could do. Let them out, and hope that Edelgard… wouldn’t hate her for them.

***

A few days later, Edelgard had offered to take both of them out to dinner. It sounded like some sort of fancy place, or at the very least something far out of her usual price range. It sounded like it was going to be a wonderful night, between the three of them! Definitely not like a date at all!

Except.

Dorothea just texted her and… cancelled.

_ This is your chance, sweetie. Don’t mess up. I’ll rat you out to Sothis if you do! _

???  
huh?

_ I told Edie I couldn’t make it. You’ll have her all to yourself today. _

adfsdfasdf. omg..  
thank yuou ;;;;

This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be real. Byleth pinched herself as hard as she possibly cou- Ow. Nope. It was really real. Really, really, really real! Ahh, Dorothea, this is wonderful but cancelling fifteen minutes before they’re supposed to meet and not giving her any time to prepare her heart and and and…

Ahh, she should get changed! Wait, no, this was pretty much the best she had! A black dress-shirt and a black pair of pants and- oh god, maybe Sothis would be willing to help her out with her makeup? Wait, no- that’s a very definite no! Sothis would definitely pressure her into admitting what she was going to do and she could barely keep herself together already! Maybe, just maybe-

No! The clock’s ticking! She only had fifteen- nope, thirteen now- minutes left to make a ten minute walk. She should be fine, but if something happened to delay her even slightly… Ahhh! Byleth put on her shoes and jogged straight to the restaurant! And thankfully, she made it! With five minutes to spare! She stood by the restaurant’s door, adjusting her clothes, before-

“Oh. My apologies, Byleth. Did I keep you waiting?”

Ahh. There she was. The beautiful, silver haired girl she had fallen for. Her strong smile, her beautiful, purple eyes… god, her eyes. So unbelievably pretty. And- ahh, she was wearing such a cute dress! It was levels more sophisticated than the outfit Byleth had managed to throw together, but it was also so incredibly cute! The black fabric reached down to just below her knees, and-

Oh my god was that a pantyhose she had never seen Edelgard wear something like that before, the way it clung to her legs was just… um… god, her thighs… no, wait, pull yourself together, Byleth! Pull yourself together! After admiring how well those beautiful, long, black gloves stuck to her body! Finally, soon after, Byleth managed to pull her attention upwards, back to focusing on Edelgard’s beautiful eyes! Or, well, as close to focusing on them that she could! Eye-contact was something that Byleth had always had difficulty with, and looking her crush in the eyes was harder than anyone else.

“What do you think?”

“I- what?”

“My dress. ”

“Oh!” Um. What was she supposed to say? Sylvain’d probably tell her it’d look better on the floor. Dorothea would say something similar, but a slight hint of subtility. Both of those were particularly bad examples… Well, um… oh! She could just say she really loved how the dress looked, right? She shouldn’t overthink it! All she had to do was calm down and say that. All she had to do was tell Edelgard she loved how it looks! Nothing more, nothing less!

It’s not a big deal, it’s not a big deal. Take a deep breath, and-

“I love you.”

They both fell silent, and Byleth slowly realized what she just said. Hurry, you can still take it back!

Nope. She couldn’t. She couldn’t say a word. She ruined it, she very, definitely, completely ruined it! She did it, she really did it. It was going to be a wonderful day that was to end in a simple confession! Not this, not this, not this! Byleth wrapped her hand around her mouth. Tilting her head away. Keeping herself silent, and preventing her from saying anything else stupid. Oh! Yeah, she could still run away! And explain herself tomorrow! Or have Dorothea explain it for her, tomorrow! Or anything else! She just shouldn’t be here. Because she said something stupid, and Edelgard was going to hate her.

But.

She couldn’t move.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

“Byleth?”

But after what felt like a minute of painful silence, Edelgard spoke up again. No doubt about to berate and insult Byleth. God, she couldn’t even look at Edelgard’s face anymore. Now that the shock and surprise wore out, there’s no doubt she must be completely disgusted. You completely ruined it, Byleth. You idiot. Moron. Her face felt like it was melting. 

Just. 

Just say it, Edelgard, and get it over with.

But she stayed completely quiet.

That is- until Byleth could feel her two smaller, warm hands grip onto her own. Wait, why was she doing that? Wasn’t she really angry? Was she about to crush her hand in disgust? It had to be something. Something, something…

“Byleth.”

Edelgard called her name out again, and Byleth finally let herself turn back.

Only to be greeted by a warm smile, and the tiniest hint of red on her cheeks.

“Thank you.”

Oh, so Edelgard was just going to let her down gently? That’s exactly how Dorothea’s rejection started. ‘Thank you, but.’ At least that meant they could still be friends, at least that meant Edelgard didn’t definitely completely hate her.

“I’ve, um… fallen for you, too.”


	2. Chapter 2

Waitwaitwait.

Wait.

What did Edelgard just say? Because it sounded like a confession. Which would make their confessions mutual. Which meant- um, it. No, Byleth had to be misunderstanding something. Words are difficult, and she had a particularly bad habit of deriving the wrong meaning from conversation! There’s no way that what Edelgard just said actually meant anything even remotely near what Byleth was hoping she had heard. No way. Absolutely impossible! There’s no way.

Wait- no, maybe she did hear it right.

Maybe Edelgard was just lying to her. She had to be! Maybe she was bored and wanted to take advantage of someone. 

No, Edelgard really wasn’t that kind of person.

Byleth had been around her enough to know that there’s no way that would be true. So, she must be mistaken about her feelings, right? It only made sense! With how close Edelgard was to Dorothea, maybe Edelgard had confessed to the beautiful songstress first! She’s just in a rebound, right? Byleth herself rebounded extremely hard when Dorothea rejected her, so Edelgard must be going through the same right now!

“I’m sorry, Byleth. I had to ask Dorothea for help. I didn’t quite know how to ask you out, so she set up… this. I’m sure an honest personal invitation would’ve been a lot more pleasant.”

Wait. No, This was what Edelgard had in mind? When she invited the two of them? Edelgard did that with the intention of having them both alone, so that she could.. She could...

“I really like you, Byleth. You’re kind, gentle, and there’s something really adorable about how shy you are. There’s so much about you that I didn’t even realize was so desirable. And you’re really gorgeous. And the way you get so happy from even the slightest gifts or presents...”

There’s no mistaking anything Edelgard had just said.

There’s absolutely no way Edelgard could be heartless enough to falsely confess to someone. There’s no way Dorothea would be friends with someone that awful. There’s no way she wouldn’t have noticed it, even at least the slightest, tiniest, littlest bit. There’s no way Dorothea would help her if this was any sort of rebound!

“Thank you.”

Byleth weakly choked out a response before stepping forward and wrapping her arms right around Edelgard, head leaning on her shoulder. Embracing her, cuddling her so tightly, and it didn’t take too long before she could feel Edelgard’s arms, too. Ah, her eyes were starting to get cloudy,

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I like you, I love you, please go out with me.”

“I am. We’re on a date- right now.”

Ahaha. That’s right. This was a date. Her first romantic date. They’re going out, they’re absolutely, definitely going out! It was real. Real, real, real.

“Byleth?”

Byleth managed to whine out an affirmative noise, between the happiest sobs she had ever felt in her life. Byleth was never one to cry from pain, emotional or otherwise. Sure, she cried because of Dorothea’s rejection, at her mother’s funeral, and honestly, she could bawl like a baby at sad stories.

But this was very definitely the first time. That she cried from happiness. Her own happiness.

“We’re blocking off the entrance. Here, shuffle over a little- move with me.”

While she followed Edelgard’s guidance, she didn’t want to let her go. She couldn’t. Not yet. Their embrace felt incredible. Even though they were just touching body-to-body, it felt so amazing..Even though this shouldn’t be any different from hugging her sister or hugging Dorothea, it made her feel so insanely happy.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m really happy.” Byleth cleared her throat before slowly and very reluctantly, pulling away from their tight embrace. Just so she could see Edelgard’s beautiful face. So she could peer into those beautiful, somewhat-foggy eyes. Just so she could see an equally happy, blissful smile.

Byleth had a lot of trouble reading expressions, but… a smile that sincere? It couldn’t be anything but happy.

“Let’s… let’s go inside, okay?” Byleth reached her left sleeve over to her face to clean the emotional ickiness off her face, though Edelgard stopped her the moment she raised her hand, diving into her pocket and wiping Byleth’s face clean with a few tissues instead. Yeah, that was probably a lot more… well, hygenic!

“Let’s.” With a smile, Edelgard locked one of her arms around Byleth and guided her inside. Greeting the host, giving her name, and quickly explaining that their third couldn’t come.

Byleth was kinda not paying attention to anything that was going on. While she caught a vague idea of the words she had said, Byleth was too busy happily smiling at Edelgard to specifically note anything that wasn’t particularly important. She was kinda distracted by how pretty Edelgard’s skin was. It was completely unblemished, unscarred… ahh. 

“Here’s our spot, Byleth.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

She had been focusing a bit too intensely. Edelgard got them a nice booth seat! It was in the very back of the restaurant, and they sat fading away from everyone. It was probably the least visible spot in the entire restaurant! Which was fantastic! Byleth wasn’t really a fan of being stared at, or even looked at, and, well, this was definitely the easiest way to hide from any peering eyes.

Within seconds, they received their water and their menus, which Byleth instantly opened to peer at. She had no idea what she was going to even consider ordering! An anxiety that got even worse when Byleth saw not only how elaborate those meals were, but especially because of the price tag attached to every single one of them.

Uh, yikes. That’s a lot of money.

That’s a ‘feed yourself for a whole week’ load of money. Byleth quickly closed her menu and put it away, on the other side of the table. She really didn’t have that kind of money to spare… she figured she should just sate herself on the, also horribly overpriced, soda here instead.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s… I don’t have this kinda money.”

“You don’t have to worry. I told you, I’ll be paying.”

“I can’t let my girlfriend pay for me…” That’s what Edelgard was now, right? Her girlfriend? It already felt uncomfortable having her pay for anything as just a friend. But as her girlfriend? That really wouldn’t be okay. “I’m perfectly happy just spending time with you, I can make myself some food when I get home, and-”

Edelgard interrupted Byleth with some sort of sharp noise. God, no, she didn’t want to upset her! Maybe, if she pulled a little from her savings, and-

“You’re eating. Here. With me.” Edelgard sounded a lot rougher than she usually was. She really had upset her. Byleth mumbled out an awkward apology, to which Edelgard responded by grabbing her hand. “And I’m paying. You can have whatever you want. I just want to spoil you a little.”

“But.”

“Let’s look through the menu together, okay? Here. Does anything seem appetizing?” Well, there was some sort of snack… thing, that stood at about half of the price of anything else. Byleth quickly pointed at it, but Edelgard just smacked her hand away. “Don’t look at the prices- here, does this sound good?”

Well, kinda? It sounded good, but just a little too complicated for her tastes. There were so many things mixed in there that they’d probably completely overwhelm her. So, she shook her head. Because if she really couldn’t stand the taste, um...

Byleth desperately looked for anything even remotely familiar to order on their menu. Something she knew that she could eat. But, well…

“I don’t know. This is all kinda intimidating.” Way to go, Byleth. You just called food intimidating. You’re probably embarrassing Edelgard. You stupid, pathetic idiot!

“That’s okay.” But instead of being filled with anger or frustration, Edelgard’s tone was still so lovingly calm. “Pick whatever you’re most comfortable with.” She must seem like such a child. There’s no way Edelgard didn’t think she was completely pathetic by now!

Get over it, Byleth. You’re a full-grown adult. You’re twenty-one years old. You don’t get to act like a seven year old!

Byleth gulped down her anxiety and looked right back at the menu. Um, it wasn’t like nothing sounded good. It was more just that so little fell within her usual comfort zones. The closest thing to comfortable was some beef covered in some sort of sauce. She wasn’t really a fan of those, but it sounded kinda safe and okay. Byleth quickly pointed it out, and Edelgard laid down her menu.

Thankfully, Edelgard was holding the outer seat, because she quickly signaled for a waiter to come over and having to deal with being the one they had to talk to sounded extremely uncomfortable. She quickly relayed their order, but as the waiter got ready to leave, Edelgard quickly called out to them.

“Oh- wait- almost forgot, could you get some sort of soda for my girlfriend?”

Girlfriend.

Ehehe. Girlfriend.

That’s not fair. That single word was enough to quickly work at soothing her anxiety. When the waiter left, Edelgard turned right back to Byleth and started affectionately squeezing at Byleth’s hand. Even if it was such a simple gesture, it still quickly left Byleth giggling like an idiot. “It’ll be about thirty minutes until our food’s ready. Anything you want to talk about?”

Um.

Byleth was bad at the whole talking thing.

“I mean, I could tell you everything I like about you~”

Oh

Byleth nodded her head. She wanted to add a very excited yes, but that just came out as a bunch of squeaks. Edelgard squeezed her hand in response, which eeked a few more of those squeaks out of her.

“You’re so cute and every time you’re overwhelmed, I just want to dote on you and spoil you. Even though you’re so strong, your vulnerabilities make me feel like I can protect you. And you can get so, so wonderfully happy. It’s really cute. You’re like a big, cute teddy bear and I just want to squish you!”

Um.

While that was all wonderful to hear, there was something off about how she was talking.

“You keep worrying about how you can’t express yourself, but you’re the most emotive person I know!”

Oh.

While the compliments were definitely leaving a mark on her heart, she noticed that Edelgard was sounding a lot more casual. That meant she was happy, right? Byleth knew that some people fall out of their trained behaviour when they get happy or comfortable, and… hehe. Edelgard was happy. It was so cute. And she was so pretty.

“And, god, you’re so gorgeous. Dorothea told me you’re really concerned about how attractive you are, and how you can’t work makeup, but, geez, you’re so incredibly hot.”

Her? Hot? “Thank you?” Byleth muttered out questioningly in response. Did Edelgard really think she was that attractive? Even though her face is, so… bleh, Edelgard honestly thought she was hot? Even if that probably just meant that Edelgard had questionable taste in women, it did make her incredibly happy. And her cheeks felt like they were burning up.

“And, your height… Mm, you being taller than me just makes you so much hotter!”

Ahaha wait no that didn’t make sense at all, didn’t people really dislike tall girls? Well, she wasn’t super tall, but she wasn’t short either! Byleth’s entire face felt so hot right now. She must be blushing like a complete idiot. But every single thing Edelgard said just made her want to hear more. Especially if Edelgard kept being like this. So energetic and excited and…

Eek! Byleth’s voice fell to an absolute whisper as Edelgard… touched her, somewhere that she really didn’t expect. “Edelgard what are you doing your hand and my thigh and and um…”

“Something wrong? I’ll stop if you want me to.” Byleth fiercely shook her head. No, seriously, don’t stop, but…

Was this really okay?

They were in public. In a restaurant. Even if they were sitting in the far back, even if no one should be able to see them, even she could definitely see a waiter coming before they got too close oh god Edelgard’s hand. She actually just started rubbing her. She was actually touching her. Sure, the thin layer of denim prevented any direct contact but it was thin enough that she could even feel the warmth of Edelgard’s lovely fingers.

“I love you.”

Edelgard said it first, this time. Ahaha stop it you’re just saying that because you’re horny aren’t you? There’s no way ALL of this could be happening. That Edelgard liked her back. That Edelgard thought she was adorable. That Edelgard loved her back. That Edelgard was so aggressively trailing fingers over her thigh.

“I love you, too.”

Byleth pushed her face forward, just a little. Closing in for a kiss. Giving Edelgard ample time to refuse, if she wanted to. God she wanted her lips. It wouldn’t be her first kiss- but it’d definitely be her first romantic kiss. With a girl. That she had honestly fallen for. And Edelgard- she didn’t pull her face back at all. She just pushed herself forward a little. Just enough for their lips to meet, and-

Ahhn. It felt like her brain short-circuited. This was so wonderful. It made her feel so warm. Having her girlfriend kiss her like this- while touching her, like this! So intently, so tenderly… Byleth wanted to push the kiss a little deeper, but her breath was already stolen enough by just the simple locking of lips.

God, it feels so much better when it’s with someone you love.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Edelgard even started to squeeze down, as she rubbed. She went from caressing her upper thigh to her inner thigh, and…

Byleth couldn’t hold back. She wanted to touch her, too. She wanted to rub those pantyhose-encased legs. So bad. Well, not just there. She wanted to touch her everywhere. Everywhere! Every every everywhere! Her fingers finally shifted forward to sink into Edelgard’s thigh. Squeezing down. Rubbing. Tenderly. Running her hands in circles. If she wanted to, she could slide her fingers up and into her skirt. And touch at her, most…

“You’re crazy hot. Your thighs, your hips, your breasts… hnngh.”

Edelgard sounded like an unquenchable beast. See, she knew that her own sex drive was a little out there. But the way Edelgard was losing herself. The cute way she was completely melting into a pile of arousal.

“I want you so badly.”

We’re in public! Well, that was what some sane part of Byleth wanted to say. She couldn’t quite get it past her lips, though, because she absolutely didn’t want Edelgard to stop. Plus, Edelgard was dragging her hands closer and closer to… oh god, her pants and underwear were in the way but she was actually touching her groin and and and and oh god someone was approaching.

All Byleth could meekly mumble out was ‘Waiter’. Thankfully, that was enough for Edelgard to understand what she meant. She instantly straightened herself out and adjusted her skirt- while Byleth quickly wiped the drool off her own mouth. Ahaha. Ahahaha. Oh god. That was dangerous. Exciting but dangerous. Excitingly dangerous.

“Ma’am, here’s your soda. Your food will be ready soon.”

“T-thanks…”

Byleth brought the glass to her lips and took just the smallest sip of soda, Edelgard, however, grabbed onto her glass of water and just started chugging it down. A tiny bit of it was spilling past her lips and oh god that was hot. When she was done, she set it down, grabbed onto Byleth’s water, and chugged it all down, too.

“Ah. Um. Excuse me. I was getting a little too carried away…”

Ahaha.

Aha

Yes you were, Edelgard and please don’t stop getting carried away like that. 

“I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable. I just, um…” Edelgard slowly shifted back into a more regal tone, even though she still sounded a lot more comfortable than ever before. “I’ve never been able to be this close with another girl. I hadn’t ever kissed another girl. I got a little too excited, and I just…”

Byleth’s cut her off with an awkward wave of her hand. She really wanted to tell Edelgard how much she enjoyed every second of it, but she just couldn’t quite get it past her lips. Instead, she dove her hand towards her phone. Speaking hard, texting was a lot easier, so!

_ I um _  
_ That was completely wonderful _  
_ Pleasedont feel bad i want you too _  
_ I love you _

Edelgard quickly grabbed at her phone, and smiled just smiled in response. Edelgard didn’t even seem to be bothered by that. By her girlfriend being unable to physically talk to her. She was so wonderfully wonderful ahahaha

“I love you, too, my dear.” Edelgard spoke with a giggle. Even though she was smiling and laughing, even Byleth’s anxiety couldn’t touch this. Becaus eshe sounded so wonderfully happy...

_ It was so wonderful i loved it so wonderful _  
_ That was completely wonderful _  
_ You make me so happy _  
_ I love you _

Edelgard gently grabbed onto Byleth’s body, and cuddled her straight into her chest. This couldn’t be real.

But it was so real.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! i have been really out of it over the past... while, due to the hecticness of life and Ciconia's release! This chapter is unedited, but I don't know when I can get to focus on editting so I'm posting it up now!

Edelgard made Byleth feel so safe. Anxiety could turn even the safest dreams into horrible nightmares. When your mind has been conditioned to search for the worst possible result in even the most innocent situations, even things that are logically harmless could seem like such a massive undertaking.

Trying out new foods was an obvious example. What was the worst thing that could happen?

It was probably something horrible. But right now, she couldn’t worry about it. All she could process was how comfortable it was to have their bodies cuddled together like this. And, well, there was also something wonderful about being able to gently nuzzle into Edelgard’s chest. And while she didn’t intend to, she couldn’t help but notice the underwire running through the cup of Edelgard’s bra.

God, those were so uncomfortably tight. Sothis swore by them, though, so maybe they just felt more tolerable on smaller chests?

...Did her girlfriend have a small chest?

Edelgard seemed to prefer clothing that didn’t emphasize her bust, so Byleth never really thought about it. Sure, Edelgard definitely did look a bit more busty but she figured it was just that this dress emphasized her natural curves rather than subduing them like her usual attire! Plus, while she nuzzled around, she could definitely feel the tell-tale sensation of some sort of padding between chest and cloth. Hell, she could hear it kinda fold about as she nuzzled oh god was she padding herself that’s so adorable…

“Your food, ma’ams.”

Um

Wait.

Did she just spend half an hour nuzzling into and thinking about her girlfriend’s tits? God, Byleth, you horny idiot! Sure, Edelgard did very definitely kind of set off Byleth very intentionally by starting to aggressive touch at her, but! They were on a date! Time they were supposed to happily spend with each other! Not just Byleth and her fantasies about Edelgard’s body! Not just thinking about how cute she is! And about the adorable curvature her breasts probably had underneath her bra! And padding! And, geez, if she really was on the small side, she could just--

Argh, you’re doing it again, Byleth! There was all sorts of table-setting-up happening! Byleth dragged herself upright as the food was all getting set up. And, um, oh, it actually all looked kinda delicious. Honestly, all the individual parts of everything seemed really amazing but, uh… it was probably just her particular flavour of neurodivergence, but Byleth wasn’t really a big fan of the idea of shoving all of that food into her mouth at the same time. Could she please take this one taste at a time? Please?

Byleth fiddled around a little with her fork, tapping it across her meat. Cautiously trying to separate some of the meat from the sauce and vegetables mixed on top of it. She was absolutely fine trying everything!! As long as it was one thing at a time!! Just, um, um…

Byleth helplessly gazed up at her girlfriend for just a few moments, before just bravely taking the dive! Her knife gently cut through the soft texture of the meat, mixed in with the sauce and whatever else was covering it. She brought the chunk to her lips, shoved it into her mouth, and-

Oh

Okay.

It was particularly nonoffensive!

Well, honestly, it was about as good as it looked. After that first exploratory bite, she basically started hammering it all down. Chomp after chomp after chomp-

Wait, Edelgard, why were you laughing? Byleth swallowed down whatever was left in her mouth before dragging her helpless gaze to her gigglish girlfriend. Sure, she still seemed happy, but she was giggling, so Byleth must be doing something pathetic and laugh worthy and-

“It’s okay. Your mannerisms are just really adorable.” Wait, adorable? Not pathetic? “Here, try a quick bite of mine.” Edelgard scooped up a bit of her food onto her fork and held it right up to Byleth’s mouth. Byleth opened her mouth to utter some sort of objection, but before she could speak, Edelgard had already taken her chance to shove that fork right past her lips.

Byleth’s first reaction was gagging, but as soon as that fork left her mouth, she managed to get it back under control. Her hand moved up to cover her lips as she started trying to chew it down and… it tasted nice, but there was something wrong with the texture… was it supposed to be crunchy like this? It triggered some sort of panicked response in her brain, but she held it out for long enough to swallow it down.

“Did you not like it?”

Byleth shook her head. She tried, but she was pretty sure taking another bite of that was going to make her react far worse. Byleth held her breath for a good few seconds, before quickly diving to her soda to completely clean her throat.

“I’m sorry.” Why was this making her feel so guilty? It was just food… Byleth, as always, couldn’t help but reflexively cough up an apology. Edelgard shook her head in refusal, though, and quickly responded with her own “You have nothing to apologize for.”

It just felt like she did! Byleth grew up poor! The very few occasions they could ever go out to eat anything, not liking something meant basically ruining the day and wasting however much money the meal was on… not having anything to eat. Um, the situation seemed like it was starting to get a little bit awkward. Edelgard had even fallen a little silent. Um, um. Break the silence, idiot!

“U-um, your eyes are really pretty…”

They really were, but that probably wasn’t the best way to push a conversation. It earned Byleth a smile, but the aggravating silence soon struck back even more fierce than before! Think of a subject to talk about, Byleth! She only has so many limbs Byleth could reasonably compliment! Well, even less than that- because commenting on her legs was probably entirely out of the question! And talking about her chest was even worse! Plus, if she just stumbled into firing compliment after compliment she’d probably seem really desperate for… something. And it wasn’t like she liked Edelgard for her body! Well, for just her body! Because she definitely wanted Edelgard’s body as a bonus on top of everything else! You should probably seriously stop thinking about her body, Byleth! Because within a few moments of dazing off in fantasy, she caught herself once-more fawning over Edelgard’s body. Thankfully, Edelgard seemed focused enough on her meal to not Notice Byleth’s gazes and-

Oh god, what if she DID? And was just awkwardly ignoring this out of politeness!? Edelgard wasn’t just polite, she was really regal and her manners were exquisite and she probably wouldn’t want to cause any conflict while eating because that could ruin a meal she was probably really enjoying and and and and AND- you’re looking at her again! 

Dammit Dorothea, why couldn't you be here, too, anyway! It’d probably be enough to ruin the romantic atmosphere they did kinda somewhat had built up, and if Dorothea was here they probably wouldn’t have been able to spend the minutes they dedicated to touching each-other doing exactly that and that was absolutely the most pleasant sensation she had ever felt Edelgard’s hands were so much more gentle than-

Crack

Byleth should’ve probably not been eating while flusteredly worrying about all these sorts of things, because after a few successful nibbles, her anxiety caused her to bite down a little too hard onto the metal fork she had been feeding herself with. She instantly dropped her knife and wrapped that now-free hand straight around her mouth, before letting out a shivering sigh of pain.

“Are you okay?”

Byleth responded with a nod. She quickly chewed her food down, swallowed it, before grabbing right back onto her ice-cold drink and using that to to cool the pain snapping through her mouth.

That, um, hurt. And Edelgard noticed her flinch so she probably noticed everything else she was doing and oh god was she worrying? It was wonderful to have Edelgard stare at her with those worried eyes-

Wait, were they worried? Maybe she was embarrassed and, and…

“I… bit down wrong.”

“You shouldn’t rush eating, slow down and enjoy your meal.”

Well, she wasn’t trying to hurry! She was just getting lost in thought, because, well… you’re insanely attractive, Edelgard! Were she a little braver, and a lot more Dorothesque, that was probably the response she would be throwing out right now, but instead, she simply nodded in embarrassment before flashing Edelgard a probably awkward and definitely very forced smile.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

If you have to respond and say it’s okay, it very definitely wasn’t okay!

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Please stop apologizing.”

“B-but…”

“You have nothing to apologize for. So far, your only upsetting act has been your insistance on apologizing over nothing.”

Ah, she sounded fierce! Byleth was reflexively brought to apologies, but thankfully, she managed to catch herself after muttering out a single “I-I’m.” she silently nodded her head, and returned to her meal. Of which there wasn’t much left. Maybe she HAD been rushing through her food a little too much… shouldn’t she be taking it as slow as humanly possible, so she could enjoy her time with Edelgard as long as she possibly could?

But they couldn’t really talk to each other while eating, so they were basically just enjoying each other’s presence. If she ate faster, she’d have more time to talk to Edelgard! Surely she wouldn’t leave the moment they both finished their meals? Edelgard was almost done, too! She should just shut up and finish her meal.

That’s right. Shut up and eat. Idiot. Why are you making this so stupidly complicated!?

Thankfully, the food-driven silence wouldn’t last too much longer. They both finished their meals, Byleth downed her soda, and she just…

Kinda sat there, waiting. For Edelgard to say something and break up the silence. And she did! After a few seconds! Except the first thing that came out of her mouth after was still awkwardly food related.

“Would you like anything for dessert? I would recommend the strawberry sweetcake, it’s wonderfully sweet. I could order a large one and we could split it.”

Byleth wasn’t a dessert person. Mostly because they tended to be expensive, but the thought of sharing something with Edelgard was enough to push her over. Plus, it sounded like Edelgard was going to order some, anyway, and at least this way they’d be eating together rather than having Byleth awkwardly sit around and wait. Edelgard quickly flagged down a waiter, forward her order, and the cake was soon delivered.

While Byleth wanted to spend more time, you know, trying to talk to Edelgard, rather than simply enjoying her presence, that additional order soon became worth the extended wait. Not so much for the taste- it was good, just a little overwhelming- but for how Edelgard reacted to taking that first bite.

Well, She basically started gleaming. Her usual smile turned into something a lot… wider and dorkier, and she even started squeeing a little with every bite she took.

It was extremely adorable. Byleth, again, sat the majority of time staring at Edelgard. She didn’t even feel that bad about it, this time! Because Edelgard was being insanely cute! She was so genuinely gleeful. She was treating every single bite she took as something completely wonderful! She was even kicking her legs back and forth, just the littlest bit.

Aah, her girlfriend wasn’t just attractive, she was insanely cute, too…

All those things- bar that smile, faded away as soon as they finished their cake, though. That was still adorably blissful. And- oh my god- she even had a little bit of cream stuck on her cheek! Byleth grabbed onto one of the table’s napkins and gigglishly wiped it off. That momentarily deflated Edelgard, but soon after she was sparkling again.

“M-My apologies… this establishment has the most wonderful desserts I have ever eaten. I hope I wasn’t too… unbecoming.”

Oh

Edelgard was back to her most Edelgardly-self.

Aw, Byleth kinda wanted to see more of that cutesy smile… it was extremely precious. So completely wonderful.

“You were really cute.”


	4. Chapter 4

Why couldn’t their date just last longer?

Just being in Edelgard’s presence was so wonderful. It made her smile. Talking to her was even better. They talked about a variety of subjects, but they eventually ended up discussing the difficulties Byleth had expressing herself, and how Edelgard could see past her stern expressions and to whatever lingered in her heart.

Apparently… she just could?

While Byleth’s facial expressions often weren’t as expressive as those of her more neurotypical friends, Edelgard noted she had her own uni que ways of expressing herself. Edelgard had apparently put a lot of effort in learning how to recognize such minor tics… when Byleth pressed her for clarification, though, she refused to answer! Something about how her subconscious reactions were prone to making her cuter.

They even swerved to talking about their plans for the future! Edelgard mentioned she was climbing towards a future in law and politics. She was apparently very unhappy about the current state of the world, and even spoke about some subjects that seemed like they would be very unbecoming of a rich lady like her! But, that subject didn’t last too long, and they started tlaking more about their respective lives. Some more… personal stuff, that they hadn’t the time to discuss before today. Well, honestly, they mostly just fell upon the subject of Dorothea. She was the biggest thing the two had in common, after all! Apparently, Edelgard had known Dorothea for about as long as Byleth had, and Byleth apparently wasn’t alone in having crushed on Dorothea…

Talking was hard, but Edelgard knew just how to take and keep the lead, and conversations were a lot easier when someone else was holding the reins.

Actually, honestly, neither really talked about their own lives all that much. Byleth felt a little too awkward about letting the subject stray towards the details of how they grew up, due to their difference in status and upbringing. It’d probably just feel… kinda awkward. They did have a lot to talk about, though!

Well, not exactly. 

Byleth didn’t exactly realize until they had both gotten up to leave, but the couple had spent a good part of the evening just flirting. 

Wait, that was flirting, right? Byleth would say something, Edelgard would comment on her, and then they’d kinda spend a minute just talking to each other about one another…

Oh, god, Byleth started feeling retroactively embarrassed as she realized that every single thing they had talked about kind of resulted in them doing something flirty! Um, about how they both crushed on Dorothea, but how her feelings for Byleth felt different. How Byleth was her first girlfriend. How she really wanted to take care of and spoil Byleth.

Wait, when she mentioned the thing about wanting to create a world where a ‘we’ and an ‘us’ can be however we want, she was talking about people in general, right? W-well, queer people like them! She wasn’t just talking about… right? Ahh, ahaha. Was she really being that forward? No, Byleth, you’re just imagining things there’s no way she would be that forward they didn’t even know each other for long enough and this was their first date and and and-

A gigglish Edelgard interrupted Byleth’s inner panic, and the giggle also made her realize her face was burning up. Oh god, they had just gotten ready to leave! Did she really start blushing like an idiot the moment she pulled herself back onto her feet!? The smiling Edelgard mentioned something about making sure they got everything and specifically reminding Byleth to not leave her phone on the table. With that last little hint of embarrassment, the two head off, and-

“Tomorrow?

No, that wasn’t a sentence, Byleth! She meant to ask Edelgard whether she was up for spending time with her again tomorrow, but she barely only managed to sputter a single word out of her mouth.

“Mm? Aren’t you going to walk me home?”

Oh.

Yeah! That was a thing couples did! Like, in stories the boy would always walk the girl home, or something, right?

They were both women, so that example didn’t really apply, but… well, it was already getting dark! And Edelgard was a lot smaller and frailer than her. She didn’t really seem athletic, and while Edelgard seemed to live relatively nearby, the thought of leaving Edelgard to walk home alone did blow a jolt through her spine. Plus, it was starting to get a little cold and breezy, and Edelgard didn’t seem to have brought a coat or anything… Her bare shoulders looked like they were going to get really cold! 

That meant she could do the cute thing, right?

Dorothea told her it was proper to wear another shirt underneath a fancier dress-shirt, so she did! As Edelgard turned away for just a second, Byleth nimbly popped the buttons off her shirt and neatly held it out to her. She kinda wanted to do the entire thing, including the part where she’d be putting it over Edelgard’s shoulders, but…

Why were you getting embarrassed about this, of all things, Byleth!? You’d just be touching her shoulders, you were rubbing the inside of her thighs earlier! Doing this wouldn’t be even remotely as intimate!

When Edelgard turned back, she noticeably flinched, even reflexively stuttering a half-step backwards. She timidly pulled the cloth out of Byleth’s hands, and then, kinda, just started staring… straight at her. 

It started pleasant! Like, incredibly pleasant! Having her girlfriend eye her this intensely felt like a dream! Did her girlfriend consider her attractive to the point of needing to stare at her? It left her flustered, but the happiest possible kind of flustered.

That feeling didn’t last for too long, though.

The staring got… uncomfortable.

Was there something wrong with her?

Um, was her shirt too revealing? Byleth timidly wrapped her arms around her waist in an attempt to hide whatever might be wrong, and thankfully, that was enough to break Edelgard from her trance. She quickly ruffled and adjusted her dress one more time, before Byleth muttered out her usual response.

“I’m sorry.” 

A reflexive apology, a habit Byleth really couldn’t but definitely should be killing.

“Huh? It- no. But. Um, well. So. It’s…”

Byleth definitely didn’t expect her girlfriend to ever stutter out a sentence even more incoherent than her own embarrassed ramblings.

“Excuse… excuse me.”

Edelgard turned herself away and put Byleth’s slightly-oversized shirt over her own shoulders, before reaching one of her hands out backwards towards Byleth without turning herself back. While Byleth more than happily took her hand, that very definitely didn’t disperse her worries. Ahh, geez. She just wanted to be cute and walk her girlfriend home, not upset her!

Edelgard practically dragged Byleth with for about a block or so- before stopping and finally turning about to speak. Oh, cute! She had gone bright red, it looked really pretty with those purple eyes! She awkwardly pointed to a gated building besides her… oh, was that her house? It, looked, uh… like somewhere she’d expect Edelgard to live. It… kinda hammered in the distance between the two.

It also really clashed with the rest of the neighbourhood.

Well, it was more like that it seemed the rest of the neighbourhood was later built around it, with this building as its crown jewel.

“I… this is my father’s house. I- well, usually live here.”

Usually?

Unlike the stuttering before, the gaps between her words sounded like they were from exhaustion rather than emotion. She was heaving a little, too! It was kind of adorable. But…

“Did… did I do something wrong?”

It was hard not to feel that way. Edelgard had a really hefty reaction, and she even dragged her away! Was she… embarrassing her? Edelgard started fiddling around with her skirt again, before reaching into a tiny little pocket and pulling out a tiny… key? She took one step away from Byleth and quickly opened the gate. Before giving Byleth any sort of response, she grabbed onto her wrist and firmly dragged her inside. To the side of the gate, and right into a brick wall that protected her from any onlookers. Well, from the outside, at least! They were within a reasonable distance of Edelgard’s house. Even if nobody on the outside could see them, anyone that lived here definitely could…

Edelgard took a step closer, and Byleth reflexively tried to take one back, but that only left her shuffling more into the wall. Edelgard stepped closer again, before taking that one final shuffle…

Edelgard… was pressing against her.

Her entire body.

It was kinda like a hug, but without the embracing parts. Instead, Edelgard’s hands moved towards Byleth’s shirt. Tugging it up. Putting her hands on Byleth’s stomach and just, rolling her fingers over her body…

It kind of tickled. Byleth clamped her teeth in response, to hold back any sort of laugh. But it quickly became too much for Byleth to handle, and she started giggling, before grabbing at Edelgard’s hands and gently pulling them away. She would’ve let her have her fun, but…

Byleth was really worried.

“I… didn’t realize how muscular you are…”

Um? I-Isn’t that a bad thing?

“It… your abs. Your arms… it’s really incredible…”

Incredible? How was it- eek! Edelgard started getting handsy again, just as she was at the restaurant! First, rolling over her side, before quickly grasping onto her behind again. Rubbing. Massaging. Pressing. Fondling. It was like Edelgard had a switch that could be flicked on with just the slightest movement. And that, too, was enough to shake Byleth’s own needs awake. 

Byleth was in her twenties, but she never managed to get out of her ‘horny teenager’ phase. She quickly overpowered Edelgard and pushed her against the wall instead, moving her hands to wrap around Edelgard’s waist. She kinda wanted to touch literally every part of Edelgard’s body, but… geez. How was a girl supposed to choose where to start!? 

It should be okay. Edelgard wouldn’t be doing this if they weren’t safe. There’s no way anyone would spot them here! So she could just give in, slowly start lifting at Edelgard’s dress, and-

Interrupted again.

Byleth heard a noise and reflexively yanked herself and Edelgard away to hide behind a nearby. They soon realized it was the correct choice, because the gate besides them suddenly started to stir open, and a car pulled in.

They were touching so close that Byleth could feel Edelgard’s heart pound against her own chest.

“It’s my father. He isn’t supposed to be home, this early...”

It would’ve been really bad if he caught them… geez. Byleth really fell for Edelgard! She didn’t want to see like some girl that’s just dragging his daughter out to get into he- wa wai WAIT A SECOND

“Edelgard!”

Byleth let out a hushed whisper. She was still fondling around. I-It felt really wonderful, but now was really not the time! Okay, maybe it was the time. Okay, maybe the thought is kind of pleasant. OKAY! Maybe Byleth didn’t want to stop her at all in the slightest but but but-

Edelgard finally let her hands slide away, back to tenderly holding Byleth’s hips instead. She was smiling like a deviant little horny prankster and oh god she was so hot why did she even stop her, they could just cautiously keep going, right? Right? Right right right right!?

Dammit, Byleth! Stop while you’re still sane! Byleth gulped, before quickly mouthing out an ‘I love you’ that was just as quickly returned. Okay, calm down. You both love each other. Sex is a thing that can happen, eventually, maybe, if you both want it. Don’t let yourself get carried away and don’t do something you might regret, you idiot!

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Edelgard pulled back from their embrace with a smile.

“T-Tomorrow…”

Um, does that mean she should leave, now? Well, Edelgard had to open the gate for her, right? And, um... 

Um.

No, no way, it couldn’t end here. Nope! Not a chance! Geez. Edelgard had been blowing her mind the entire date! And, and… AND!

Ahh. The pair walked to the gate together. Edelgard opened it. They saw each other off. Byleth should just be leaving now, but, but…

Instead, she grabbed onto Edelgard and pulled her closer. Slowly pushing her lips to hers. Slow enough to give her the ability to deny her advances. But when Edelgard didn’t, Byleth quickly dove forward. Kissing her. Again. But this time, she didn’t let Edelgard take any sort of lead at all!

Just close your eyes, Edelgard, and enjoy!

It wasn’t Byleth’s first kiss. Or her second. Or her third. Honestly, she had kissed a lot more than she would be willing to admit. Depression plus anxiety plus arousal can lead to some really dumb mistakes. Even if she’s never been in a serious relationship, she had gone through some… shameful ‘practice’ of sorts.

Byleth really didn’t mind having some practice to prepare herself for Edelgard, though! Especially if it meant being able to overwhelm her. Maybe she could just turn her into an absolute, incoherent mess! From their talks about Dorothea, it seemed like Edelgard had no experience with… anything, relationship-wise. And Byleth was more than eager to teach her! Her hands moved to Edelgard’s head. Gently adjusting her while tenderly stroking fingers across her cheeks.

And the very moment Edelgard let her guard down, Byleth slipped her tongue forward. First stopping at Edelgard’s lips, before soon pushing against her teeth. It didn’t take much for her to obediently open her mouth, and the very moment she did, Byleth slid her own tongue deeper. Against Edelgard’s. Against the top of hers. Sides. Underneath. Spinning in circles, just to get her a little warmed up. The longer they kissed, the more deliberate Byleth’s movements became. Focusing on the tip of her tongue, diving in the tiniest bit further…

Nn, Edelgard had happily closed her eyes. Adorable.

Slowly, Byleth would pull her tongue backwards. Just to tempt her into chasing with her own, and she did. She was awkwardly trying her very best to recuperate every single one of Byleth’s movements… but she was so obviously inexperienced and clumsy… hee hee hee. Edelgard was even starting to wobble a little in her arms.

So cute. So unbelievably cute. Byleth wanted to keep kissing her for longer- forever. But. She had to cut them off, somewhere. If she kept enjoying herself, there’s no way she’d be able to hold back not dragging her lovely Edelgard off!

So, she slowly let her lips wrap around Edelgard’s soft tongue. Suckling down. All while flicking at her tongue.

Before she finally pulled back.

Just happily gazing at Edelgard’s face.

She was smiling so brightly. She was heaving. She was wobbling. She even seemed caught without words. She was so adorable. Edelgard looked so absolutely precious…

That meant Byleth had made her happy, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops. I got caught up on writing this... I just really want these two to be happy.

It was their third date.

They had only been together for a little over a week.

They had only really gotten to know each other over the past three months.

So how could this feel so intense?

The girl of her dreams was sitting- right there. On her bed. She almost seemed timid. Unlike Byleth, who was basically struggling to get down to her shirt and underwear as quickly as she humanly could, Edelgard had barely undone her black coat. She hadn’t gotten any further than undoing the top button on her adorably red blouse. She was even still wearing her usual gloves. Her red pantyhose. Her skirt…

Was she forcing Edelgard into something that she didn’t want? Sure, Byleth had seen Edelgard embarrassed before. She had seen her squirm. She was the toughest girl Byleth knew, but she could still melt like putty whenever the flirting got too aggressive. When Byleth first swept her off her feet and held her like the adorable princess she was, Edelgard couldn’t even talk! It was so adorable.

Okay, Byleth, keep your libido under control. If Edelgard was uncomfortable, that’s the very first thing you need to fix. She shuffled herself over, fighting her intense urge to push her girlfriend down, right there, and instead wrapping herself right around her. Moving her fingers to her palms, and gently fiddling with her begloved hands.

Come to think of it, she had never really seen Edelgard’s hands. Or most of her body, for that matter. Edelgard could be so insanely aggressive whenever anything flipped her switch, but her body was something that she hid in modesty.

It was modesty, right?

“Are you okay? You know… with this?”

Honestly, Byleth’d probably still be worried if Edelgard was already naked and trying to rip Byleth’s clothes off. Anxiety kinda does that to you.

“Yes. But… under one condition.”

A condition? Um, if it was anything to make Edelgard feel even one percent more comfortable with- well, you know- sex, Byleth would do anything! And not just because she was horny out of her mind. Because, beyond even the need to sate her lust, the one thing Byleth wanted to do is see her girlfriend drown in happiness.

“Please, don’t feel… repulsed. Please don’t scream.”

Huh?

Did Edelgard have body-image problems?

That’s actually… cute. Considering how beautiful and angelic her face is, and considering how absolutely gorgeous her smile was, and considering how divine the outline of her figure was…

Hee hee hee.

That just meant she needed to spoil Edelgard, right? Her lovely princess went to undo her gloves- gently tugging at the very tip of her index finger to undo it.

But that wouldn’t do.

The excited and gigglish Byleth smacked her hands away, gently holding her wrist in one as she moved to slowly pull the love off with the other. All while nuzzling into Edelgard’s cheek. As soon as Byleth pushed her lover’s hand away though, Edelgard suddenly tensed up. She jolted entirely upright, and even tried to yank her hand away. Byleth’s gentle grip was enough to stop her, and after just a second of worries, Edelgard seemed to quickly calm down. Nodding at Byleth and giving her permission to again continue.

Pull, pull, slowly pull…

And it quickly came off, just like that.

…Aww

Her hands were so cute! They were so tiny! Her fingers were-

Hold on.

Edelgard hadn’t clipped her nails?

That, uhh…

Well, if they go there, Edelgard should probably put them back on. They were so well-filed, and um, they seemed incredibly sharp. That was probably the only part of her that could potentially make her scream in any way that wasn’t just extremely pleasant. Byleth gently traced her fingers across Edelgard’s palm. Down to her wrist. Before- huh?

Her skin got a little rougher. It didn’t look any different, but she could feel the slightest, constant change in texture as her fingers dragged around. Wait- awww, was she worried about Byleth seeing her body just because she had some rashes? That was so incredibly adorable…

“So cute.”

Byleth quickly moved to and undid her other glove. Running her fingers around her hand again. She could again feel those rashes all over her wrists. Byleth pulled Edelgard’s hands a little closer, letting her gaze roll over them for a moment.

Nope, she couldn’t really -see- anything. Maybe she just had some rough patches of skin around her wrists?

That could happen, right?

Byleth wasn’t a biology major, but that had to be it. Because, the only other thing she could think of-

No.

Please don’t think of that. She wouldn’t have. If she did, it would be okay. She wouldn't be bad. But...

Byleth interrupted her own trailing thoughts by pulling Edelgard’s hand up to her face. Kissing at the back of her wrist, before nuzzling it right against her face. And kissing it more, more, more!

“You’re really pretty, Edelgard.”

Edelgard gave no response. No nod, no words, nothing. She didn’t even let out one of her usual embarrassed noises. She must really be worried about this… Byleth slowly, gently, and tenderly guided Edelgard to lay down onto her back. So Byleth could happily climb into her lap- squirming around a little to find a place that was comfortable for the both of them, and then instantly diving her hands towards the midst of her blouse.

Button, button, button.

...Ahh, why was she wearing a shirt underneath that, too!? Sure, undershirts were supposed to be the fancy and elegant and proper thing to do, but…

She was wearing way too much clothes! With a huff and a squirm, Byleth put her fingers on what was hopefully the final thing between her and Edelgard’s bare skin. Sure, she was very definitely wearing a bra underneath, too, but that was something cute and fun to remove and, and, and…

But

After undoing the first few buttons-

Byleth stopped.

What… happened to her? You’re kidding, right? 

Byleth popped another button, and gently pulled Edelgard’s blouse to the side.

Countless marks- scars, were spread across her body. While her shoulders and neck held only a few, the deeper down on her waist she went, the more and more they became apparent. Byleth silently let one of her fingers drag across a line of Edelgard’s damaged skin.

...Yup.

The same rough texture Byleth found on her wrists. Spread all across her porcelain skin. All across her beautiful body. They all seemed… aged. Wounds that have long-healed. 

In a twisted way, it put Byleth’s mind at rest. There’s no way all of these… carvings, were self-inflicted. There were way too many. And they were, just-

No.

Don’t… worry about it.

Just look at her face, Byleth. You’ve never seen her like this. You never want to see her like this.

This was what she was worried about, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t like they made her any less beloved, but-

Byleth did want to scream..Byleth did feel repulsed.

Because- because, because, because!

Who wouldn’t, if they saw someone they loved like this!?

Who would ever do this, to such a wonderful girl?

No, don’t worry about it.

There’s only one thing for you to do now. Just lean down. Snuggle into her. Kiss onto her cheek. And gently whisper;

“You’re so pretty, I love you.”

There’s no way it would help- much. It didn’t have to. Even the slightest silver of distraction… geez. Byleth wanted to bare Edelgard’s body, not force her to expose whatever this… vulnerability was. Byleth might be a clueless, socially inept idiot, but she wasn’t completely helpless. Some things were obvious, even to her.

Some things might even be a little more obvious, especially to her.

Nuzzle, nuzzle…

“Do you want to… stop?”

Edelgard got it past her lips first, but Byleth was about to ask the same thing. The estrogen and testosterone clogging her brain just made it a liiiittle too hard for Byleth to gather those words. But! Since Edelgard asked, that just meant all she had to do was nod and give her another kiss on her pretty little cheek, and then slowly pull herself down again. Planting kiss after kiss along the way, until she reached the last pesky part of her body that was covered by her blouse. That final button finally popped, and Edelgard’s entire upper body was exposed.

...Thankfully, the lowest part of her waistline was devoid of any scarring. Even as she slowly tugged Edelgard’s skirt a little lower, all the skin down there remained pristine. The only things that ruined the perfect sheen of her skin were a pair of transparent, plastic patches stuck on either side of her lower abdomen, previously hidden right underneath her skirt’s waistband. Byleth’s hands gleefully slid to the side and she happily undid the zipper on the side of Edelgard’s skirt.

...Ahh. She had a heartbreaking choice ahead of her…

Byleth could expose Edelgard’s chest and… well, have all the eyecandy she could wish for, but… if she just pulled down her skirt and panties the liiiittlest bit more, she could make her girlfriend squirm and squeal and let her mind blank all of her worries away…

It really wasn’t even a choice, wasn’t it?

Byleth dragged kissies across Edelgard’s skin, until her lips reached the very tip of Edelgard’s skirt, and-

Uhh.

Byleth wanted to do the really sexy thing and take Edelgard’s skirt in her teeth and slowly drag it down to expose her, but…

It… wasn’t really working out. So after a few failed attempts, her fingers dove into the waistband of Edelgard’s skirt and she started to slooowly pull it down. Hopefully making it as unbearable for Edelgard as possible. She knew the slow suspense always absolutely destroyed her. And it’d be reaaally cute to see Edelgard squirm about all adorably flustered.

Slowly, slowly, slowly-

Until Edelgard’s hands suddenly reached down to grasp at wrists. Stopping her. Even yanking them away from her skirt.

Too much?

“I’m sorry.”

Byleth’s reflexive apology was quickly dismissed by Edelgard.

“No. Don’t be. I’m… I started our relationship on false pretenses. I should’ve been honest with you, from our very first date. I want to apologize, and I… hope it’s not too late for me to.. Come out, to you.”

Err.

Come out? That… was a particularly specific choice of words. And it really wasn’t like she had anything to come out about when it came to her sexuality! 

“I don’t want to be dishonest to someone I love.”

Dishonest and false pretenses, huh? That… was also a little too specific.

“It… well.” Edelgard was having difficulties gathering her words, but Byleth patiently- and smilingly, waited for her girlfriend to continue. It took her a few seconds. Whatever this was, it really was some sort of closely guarded, uncomfortable secret. She wasn’t… sick, right? No, that’d be a little bit too cruel. Just close your eyes, listen to her, and let her talk.

“I wasn’t exactly… born like this.”

Born like-

Oh.

Oooooh.

No, right, that made sense.

“I was- I am still not quite-”

Nope, you can stop right there! I love Edelgard, and I won’t let anything say something bad about my Edelgard! Even… my Edelgard! Truth be told, Edelgard wasn’t the first one to come out to her about this. And while Byleth would never reject someone for something as petty as -this-, she’d definitely be a lot more confused, had she no earlier experience.

And, had she lacked that experience. she probably wouldn’t have silenced Edelgard before she could say anything bad about herself.

See, it wasn’t a waste! Going for a major in psychology WAS really helping her interact with people…! 

Byleth quickly shifted upwards, and shut Edelgard up, rudely sealing her lips with her own. Edelgard’s hands bopped at Byleth’s shoulders, before quickly escalating to full-blown pushing.

“This is… very important! Byleth! Let me…finish!”

Edelgard managed to push Byleth off enough to utter some words of objection.

“No! You’re my girlfriend.” Byleth was bad at being firm, but this was the one time she had no problem she had summoning all of her strength! “You were born a girl, grew up a girl, are now my girlfriend, and maybe you’ll even eventually become my wife!” Err, you probably shouldn’t have added that last part, but spur-of-the-moment compliments were hard to come by.

That didn’t matter, though. Because all Byleth wanted to do, was stop her from dehumanizing herself. From devaluing herself. Even if she couldn’t stop the worries churning in her head, she could definitely deny Edelgard the chance to verbally hurt herself.

It seemed to help a little, because Edelgard had stopped resisting.

...that meant she was helping, right? Edelgard’s body stopped fighting, and simply returned to her usual manner of enjoying a kiss. Her expression lightened, her face softened. And after what felt like a good few minutes of letting their lips lock, Byleth slowly pulled away.

“Did Dorothea tell you?”

Oh, Dorothea knew? Well, that made sense. Kinda? Dorothea would definitely not be willing to set up Edelgard with someone that wasn’t potentially okay with her body.

“No.”

“Then, why aren’t you… are you not even a little shocked? Has it been that apparent?”

“No, I just…” Byleth couldn’t think of a good answer to that question. Was there even one? So, instead, she just kissed down Edelgard’s cheek, and instead did her very best to quiet down Edelgard with a kiss and suckle at her neck.

Prompting the cutest noise she had ever heard Edelgard make.

What a cute mewl. Byleth did it again. Kissing down, nibbling down a little, kissing all over that little sensitive spot. Forcing a few more mewls past Edelgard’s lips, before letting herself flop right back down. Against Edelgard. Wrapping around her. Holding her. Cuddling her. Kissing her cheek, over and over and over and over…

Well.

At least this meant she had more of an idea of what to ‘do’ with Edelgard. Sure, she had always been into girls, but her experience was firmly rooted in the opposite biological sex. Sure, with another cis girl she always had her own body as a frame of reference, but…

Well…

It was embarrassing to even think about it in such a direct way, and saying it would probably do very little to actually comfort Edelgard, but at least Byleth knew what to do with a dick in her mouth.

“More?”

But, really, Edelgard’s comfort came first. Every little part of her body was yelling at her to deepen their little tryst, but…

It was easy to ignore even her body’s rampaging urges, if there was even the slightest chance that it was necessary. No matter how needy her body got, she would never let herself push beyond any of Edelgard’s given limits!

“Yes, but… please, don’t stare. I’d rather you not even look.”

Aww…

Byleth really wanted to see all of her girlfriend, but if that kept her happy! Byleth happily kept her eyes focused on Edelgard’s face as she moved to strip herself of her last bits of clothing. She just obediently stared at Edelgard. Smiling. Waiting. Until Edelgard weakly grabbed at her hand, and guided down her body. Gently placing her hand /there/. Right on, you know…

...Was she as ‘big’ as she felt?

Because, um…

Yeah, that, uh…

Geez.


End file.
